rum-blossom
Noun: A chronic skin condition of the nose, characterized by redness, visible blood vessels, swelling, and sometimes bumpy texture, frequently linked to long-term, heavy alcohol consumption. It is a colloquial term for the medical condition rhinophyma.
This is an informal, somewhat dated term. It is used to describe the physical symptom (the nose condition) itself, not the act of drinking. * The old sailor's face was marked by a pronounced rum-blossom. * Years of heavy drinking had left him with a severe case of rum-blossom.
The term is often used in a descriptive or diagnostic context in historical or character-based writing. It carries a connotation of a hard-lived life due to alcohol abuse. * The novelist described the detective as having a "rum-blossom nose," instantly signaling a character flaw to the reader.
- Rhinophyma (n): The formal medical term for the condition.
- Drinker's nose (n): A more common modern colloquialism.
- Whiskey nose (n): Another informal synonym, similar in construction and meaning.
- Rhinophyma
- Drinker's nose
- Whiskey nose
- Potato nose (informal, descriptive)
This term refers specifically to the advanced, bulbous swelling of the nose associated with severe rosacea and alcohol abuse. It is not a general term for facial redness from drinking. The condition is a subtype of rosacea, and while alcohol can exacerbate it, the direct causal link to alcohol alone is a subject of medical debate. The term itself, however, firmly associates the condition with alcohol consumption.
- enlargement of the nose with dilation of follicles and redness and prominent vascularity of the skin; often associated with excessive consumption of alcohol